Christmas In the Park
by Shade the Raven
Summary: Its that time of year again for this band of heroes. First try at a holiday fic, but I think its good. Slight SonAmy, KnuxRouge


**My first attempt at a holiday scene. Hope you all enjoy and Merry Christmas! **(As usual, all songs and characters properties of their respective owners. Shade the Raven and Aero the Highwind property of me.)

* * *

**_Merry Christmas to All..._**

_a Sonic the Hedgehog Christmas_

The air was quite chilly in the Central Park that night, but no one really seemed to notice. After all, there was so much to do this Christmas Eve. Normally, the gang would gather at Amy Rose's house before parading around the city, spreading good cheer and various carols before heading back to share stories, presents and eggnog. This year, they all decided to do something different. Instead, they all met in the Central Park, trying their collective hands at a much larger tree. So far things looked … well, interesting.

"Hey, where's the next strand of lights?!" Sonic the Hedgehog called out, half buried in branches and pine needles. Suddenly, they appeared dangling above his nose, thanks to a well aimed toss from his red echidna, Knuckles. "You know blue, sometimes I wonder how you even find your shoes in the morning!" he taunted.

"Oh har dee har har, spikey." The hedgehog replied. In a flash, Sonic wrapped the new lights around the all the branches they could cover, entangling Knuckles in the process. Needless to say, the guardian was not very happy "Hedgehog! When I get my hands on you I'm gonna…!" But before things could get too violent, Rouge the Bat swooped in low and gracefully undid his bounds. "You really need to watch where you stand, sugar. How many times am I going to have to untangle you today?" she asked with a playful grin and while still wrapped around him, which turned Knuckles an even brighter red. It only took Sonic one look to start bursting out in laughter "Whoooo! Look at em glow! We won't even need a topper for the tree now!"

"Quiet blue!" was the reply from both. They turned back to each other, exchanged a quick kiss, and went back to work. Knuckles gathered an armful of ornaments to hang while Rouge worked on the higher lights. Near the top of the tree, the familiar _whirr_ of a twin-tailed rotor could be heard as Tails took precise measurements for the ornament which would crown this decorated jewel. Suddenly, the lights flickered and went dark. The young fox simply shook his head against the surprise of the others. "I'll get it guys, hang on!" He zipped down to where his portable generator used to be pumping out all kinds of wattage. Now it was silent. Carefully, Tails studied the device, checking all the connections. So carefully, in fact, he didn't her the snow crushing under Amy Rose's boots until she was right behind him "Hey Tails. Want some hot chocolate?"

The sudden voice made the fox jump straight into the air, knocking the pink hedgehog back and sending mugs full of various liquids everywhere. Amy shrieked "My favorite dress! OOOH, you're in for it now, Prower." Tails, suddenly facing Amy and her very large hammer, backed away slowly until he was against another tree "No, Amy! I'm sorry, I just…waaaagggh!" The hammer started to fall, but never connected as suddenly, was a blue mass between the two one hand on the weapon, the other around her waist. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… calm down Ames. Tails is just a bit high strung thanks to all the Monster and Dew he drinks." Sonic said.

The pink hedgehog, awestruck at the way her hero now held her, dropped her hammer and grasped his hands "I'm sorry Sonic, Its just that you always said this was your favorite dress, and now it's soaked!"

"Not to mention the fact my cocoa went everywhere." he replied. Amy gave him a look of sheer shock until he chuckled "Come on, Ames. Let's get you cleaned up." They started to walk back to her apartment together, until Sonic took off so Amy could chase him, just as always. "I'll get you yet Sonic!"

Once Tails got the generator working again, the three remaining decorators stepped back to admire their work. It was an exquisite piece of work, save for the fact the whole tree was leaning to the right.

"Is it supposed to do that?" the echidna asked.

Rouge looked equally confused "I don't think so. Did Sonic wrap the lights too tightly?"

"Looks like you guys missed a spot, and bent another tree" came a new voice behind them. All three turned to see a sliver hedgehog approach, with a thoroughly bundled up blue cat next to him.

"Heya Silver! Glad you both could make it!" Tails said.

"Look at you, Blaze! All wrapped up and nowhere to go" Rouge laughed.

The cat gave her a light glare "I… don't… do… cold" Blaze replied, teeth chattering. "Well, lets get some firewood and talk some guy-smack" the bat said, linking her arm with heading off into the trees nearby.

Knuckles shook his head "Hoo boy, this wont be good."

Silver laughed "Is it ever? Now come on, we have a tree to mend." Taking a few steps back, the hedgehog used a small dose of physic power to carefully right the tree and balance it. "All better" he said with a cocky grin "Still, it seems to be missing something."

"Amy said Shade and Aero were bringing the topper this time" Tails said "Speaking of Amy, what's taking them so long? Does it really take that long to make hot chocolate?" Knuckles and Silver started chuckling. "What's so funny?"

The older echidna simply patted the fox on the head "You're a bit young to understand yet. But don't worry, with Sonic's speed, they will be back any minute now."

Almost on cue, the blue blur whooshed past, kicking up all kinds of snow as he went "Did somebody mention 'speed'" He came to a stop between them and the tree, arms full of cookies and sugary sweets. Tails quickly shook himself dry "Oh boy! I love Amy's cookies!" Knuckles let the snow melt off of him, steaming as it went. "I hate it when he does that" he muttered. Then came a second _whoosh_ as another blue form blew past them from the other direction, re-covering the echidna in white. Bouncing off a tree into a perfectly-timed flip, Aero the Highwind landed gracefully beside the tree. "Hey guys, what's…_COOKIES!_"  
And just like that, the three-tailed fox was chowing down as well.

"Took you long enough, Aero" Sonic said "If you would've waited a few seconds, you could wash those down with some hot chocolate"

"Asking Aero to hold back on sugar is like asking Tails to stop using electricity. If it ever happens, then the world truly has gone mad" came a second newcomer's calm and almost neutral voice. Everyone but Aero looked around dumbfounded until the Highwind pointed up to the tree's peak, without even looking, to where the pure black raven had perched. Against the starry night, he was almost invisible, save for the ember glow of his cigarette.

"Oh, hey Shade. Glad you could make it." Tails waved. The raven leapt off the branch and landed next to the group "Good to be here. Aren't we missing a few?"

"Rouge and Blaze are gathering firewood" Knuckles said, spitting out the last bits of snow.

"And Ames is bringing hot drinks for all" Sonic added, "Hopefully bringing a second batch of cookies too."

Everyone turned to glare at Aero, who simply smiled a triumphant smile.

"Did you guys bring the treetop?" Tails asked. Shade cocked an eyebrow in his direction "Tree-top? What top? Were we supposed to bring that? Hey, Aero, did we forget something?"

The Highwind began pacing back and forth, scratching his chin, "Topper… topper…hmmmmmmm."

Everyone else gave the pair looks of complete despair "You guys _forgot _the topper?!!!" they all yelled.

Aero couldn't hold it anymore and started laughing hysterically "Of course we didn't forget. My dear Darkfeather, if you please."

Shade gave a graceful bow to the crowd and pulled the ornament out of his pack. It was shaped like a star that was encircled by four smaller orbs. And indeed, as soon as the raven placed the final piece of the puzzle in its place, the smaller jewels began to orbit the star. Together, they all admired the work they had done, as did the people passing by on their way home to their loved ones.

"Wow… where did you two find this?" Silver asked.

"In a cave in the Northern Mountains" Shade answered. "Remember the giant frost moth, Aero?"

His comrade frowned "Yea, yea. He never would have caught me if I didn't go back to help your feathered butt."

Sonic jumped in "Don't tell me. Let me guess. Was there something shiny being guarded by Mr. Moth?"

"Was there ever!" Aero exclaimed "More gold and gems that even Rouge can shake a stick at!"

Knuckles shook his head "Don't tell her that. Last time she raided a vault, she had to burn a lot of favors with G.U.N to clear herself."

"Sounds like her alright. Hope they get here soon. I'd love me some cocoa" Aero replied, rubbing his stomach. The rest just shook their heads.

And indeed, Amy soon came bounding up with a fresh tray of steaming mugs on top of a loaded cookie tray. Rouge and Blaze returned soon after with all the ingredients needed for a roaring fire. And with a touch of the firebender's skill, the warmth and light soon enveloped them all. There the nine sat together, swapping stories of the year past and of the new year's resolutions they might actually keep.

"Well, who wants to start us on a song?" Amy asked. Everyone knew she loved to sing, so they figured she would have been doing sp already, but that was muted by the person who did start singing; Aero.

_Old Saint Nick's got bourbon breath_

_It's so cold you could catch your d…_ A quick strike from an open wing clamped his comrade's mouth. "I think she meant a _cheerful_ song, Highwind" Shade said.

"Oh yea…whoops."

"Well, I know one my family used to sing, but I don't know if it's really Christmas-like" Blaze said, focused on her half-drained mug.

"Really?" Amy asked "Well, go ahead. I'll jump in if I know any of it."

It took her a second but slowly, Blaze's voice began the time-honored song. After a few words, it clicked in the rest of their minds.

_A journey begins_

_Start from within_

_Things that I need to know_

_The song of a bird_

_Echoed in words_

_Flying for the need to fly._

Her voice was so elegant, so beautiful, it even surprised Amy. But now that everyone knew what she was singing, they too added their vocal skills.

_Thoughts endless in flight_

_Day turns to night_

_Questions you've asked your soul,_

_Which way do I go?_

_How fast is too slow?_

_The journey has its time, endless._

_If a man can fly over an ocean_

_And no mountains can get in his way._

_Will he fly on forever_

_Searching for something to believe?_

_From above I can see from the Heavens_

_Down below see a storm raging on._

_And somewhere heeds the answer_

_There is a hope to carry on._

On a hilltop over looking the park a good distance away, a familiar ebony hedgehog stood over looking the scene beneath him. Shadow never really understood this time of year, this need to be near others for comfort. After all, he had only experienced the holidays with Maria. Without her, it just wasn't the same.

Then the song hit him, carried by the sweet, cold air. His eyes snapped open as he listened. It was something he hadn't heard for the longest time, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it.

Then it hit him _This song,… Maria used to sing this…but why? Wait, she said it meant… hope. Yes, the song was about hope. Like this holiday. That's what it meant._

In a flash, Shadow was gone.

_When I finely return_

_Things that I learnt_

_Carry me back to home_

_The thoughts that I feel_

_Planting a seed, in time will begin to grow_

A new voice blended to the mix. One that caused everyone to snap around to see and their jaws drop at the revelation of who it belonged to.

_The more that I try_

_The more that I fly_

_The answer in itself_

_Will be there._

Once it was over, it took a few seconds for any conversation "Glad you could make it Shadow. Figured you disappeared again" Sonic said.

Shadow chuckled "Wishful thinking faker. Good to see you're all enjoying the night."

Amy loosed herself from Sonic's arm to welcome him "Of course! We're glad to see you too. Would you like some hot chocolate? Maybe some Christmas cookies?"

The black hedgehog smiled a small smile "Never could turn down your cooking, Rose."

The tree flickered and went dark again. Tails threw up his arms and grabbed his bag "Sheesh! What's amatter with this thing now?!!" he growled. He opened up the panel and pulled out the Power Ring that used to power the contraption "I don't get it. The ring has plenty of charge, the fuses are set, connectors are good…"

"Leave this to me" Shadow said, appearing right behind the fox, causing Tails to rocket into the air again. The hedgehog produced a blue Chaos Emerald, and held it above his head, placing his free hand on the generator "CHAOS CONTROL!"

The power jumped through Shadow and into the tree, which came to life brighter and more radiant than ever. Everyone else oooed and ahhhed the sight. Shadow simply shrugged "The ultimate life-form, reduced to a battery. What an odd twist of fate."

The power never failed again. The group was reunited, and they spent the rest of the night in the park chatting, laughing, munching, and enjoying one of the founding ideas of Christmas; friends and family.


End file.
